Half of Puerto Rico lost electricity Wednesday as the Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane off the northern coast of the United States most populous overseas territory.

Nearly 84% of San Juan still had electricity around 4 p.m. as heavy rainfall lashed the island.

But in Carolina, the municipality bordering the sprawling capital city to the east, almost 80% of households lost power, according to data from the utility LUMA Energy.

In Mayaguez, Ernestos winds of up to 75 miles per hour proved powerful enough to plunge 76% of the west coast hub into darkness, with the percentage ticking upward throughout Wednesday afternoon. The blackouts on the south coast in Ponce, Puerto Ricos second-largest city, and in Caguas, the municipality in the central mountain range, followed a similar trajectory, with no less than 67% of households losing service.

In total, the share of Puerto Rico without power fell a slim fraction of one percentage point shy of 50% on Wednesday afternoon. LUMA said in a statement posted on X that its personnel will conduct field inspections as soon as it is safe for our crews to go into the field to identify damage and begin repairs.